Gluten Free

My mom has been living with celiac disease for several years now.  She's the reason I first began to suspect that Bee might have a problem with certain foods.  Through her research about gluten, I realized that food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities can manifest in a variety of symptoms.  Bee's condition fit many of those symptoms.  And sure enough, food was the culprit.  I've asked her to guest post on occasion and share some of her insight about gluten, celiac disease, and living gluten free.

What is all this talk of "gluten-free?"
What's the big deal about gluten anyway?

Well, actually, the big deal about gluten is quite huge.

Many, many people react to gluten, but most are not even aware of gluten as the culprit.

What are some of the more common symptoms of a reaction to gluten?  A partial list includes frequent headaches or migraines, fatigue, itchy skin lesions, joint pain, constipation, diarrhea, stomach cramping, bloating, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.

Wow! What could trigger such reactions?  The tiny portion of wheat called gliadin is the actual problem.  Gliadin is the protein portion of wheat (and several other grains) and is often not easily digested.  Hence, the trouble begins!
The gliadin in the gluten can trigger any number of reactions, affecting the human body in a number or ways and causing numerous health complications.

So, what's the "big deal" about this tiny protein?  Stay tuned as we explore.